These are made in collaboration between Under Armour and JBL, and they supposedly boast a custom sound experience tuned by Johnson. Under Armour has been in the headphone business for a while, with a few in-ear models, but these are the brand's first over-ear cans.

At $249, the Project Rock Edition headphones are not cheap, and they don't do noise cancelation. So the question I am left with is: Are these worth the high price tag?

Flexibility and durability shine through

The Project Rock Edition is designed for the gym, and have a pretty flexible build. The top band can handle quite a bit of pressure — I was totally comfortable bending it every which way.

The plastic build gives it more flexibility but takes away from the high-end feel, and I think at $249 you want a product that feels premium. The bottom of the top band has some padding, which is IPX4 sweat resistant.

This same sweat resistance is evident with the ear cups. The padding around them is breathable, which helps relieve some sweat buildup, plus the pads are removable for easy cleaning. The inside of each cup brandishes either an “L” or “R” so you know which ears they go on.

The right ear cup is home to all of the controls, and they are quite oversized so you can easily find them by touch. Still, the power/Bluetooth pairing button isn't intuitive: You have to slide it up and hold it for about five seconds till it turns white for pairing; it will eventually turn blue once the headphones are connected to your device.

The headphone jack is also hidden under a rubber door on the bottom of the right ear cup; the microUSB port is in the same spot on the left ear cup.

A big issue with the design is that the ear cups are small and, while the padding is soft and breathable, the headphones are still uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. More on this in a bit.

Sleek, glossy, black Brahma Bulls are emblazoned on each ear cup, continuing The Rock's signature branding. The tagline of Project Rock — "Blood. Sweat. Respect." — is printed along the top of the headband. This branding isn't too over-the-top and actually blends in nicely to the overall black color of the headphones.

A rugged case

Rock fans will be happy to know that the included hardshell case has some more Brahma Bull branding. Thankfully, the case has ample room inside for the headphones as well as the audio cable and microUSB charging cable.

Perforations on the case ensure the headphones can breathe after a workout, even when stored. There are eight cutouts with a webbed design that allows for fresh air to circulate inside, letting that sweat dry off naturally. Plus the design is pretty sweet.

A custom sound experience

Image: Jake Krol/mashable

In addition to helping with the design of the Project Rock Edition UA Sport Wireless Train Headphones, Dwayne Johnson also provided feedback for the sound quality. That apparently means serious bass. Right off the bat, you'll notice that pop music can really get you pumped up, with electric beats and drum-heavy rock songs getting particularly enhanced.

Most higher-end headphones these days offer some sound customization, usually via an app. The Project Rock headphones don't, though, and you're stuck with this enhanced bass sound, which may be a blessing or curse. These are definitely not the headphones you want for thoughtful, precise classical music, which just sounds awkward. But for adrenaline-pumping workout music, it's damn sweet.

As you'd expect, the headphones can play quite loud without distortion, but those around you will notice some sound leakage (even at 50% volume). As mentioned, there's no noise cancellation, which makes a certain amount of sense — since they're for working out, and you probably should know your surroundings — but it seems like an oversight to me, especially at this price point.

That goes double since TalkThru Technology is onboard, a sound-enhancing feature that lowers the playback volume and amplifies voices around you. This allows you to carry on conversations with those around you, although it's weird to hear your voice enhanced as well.

To activate it, holding in the bull on the right ear cap, and to switch back to normal, just press and hold the bull again. It's a little to easy to do — chances are you'll be engage this by accident, as it happened to me several times.

How do they perform in everyday use?

Image: Diamond Naga Siu/Mashable

For the most part, the Rock's cans are a decent pair of headphones, but you can tell the focus was more on the branding than the product itself. The design works, although for the first couple of wears I found that the headphones felt tight on my head. This is most likely enhanced as I wear glasses, but the band and ear cups apply a certain amount of pressure on the face. The small size of the earcups doesn't help.

I listen to mostly pop music with some rock 'n' roll thrown in and these headphones lived up to the challenge. The overall bass-heavy balance performs well with these two genres. TalkThru Technology definitely works, but I don't know if I'd use it much. I could see people working out a gym using it sometimes to listen to what's around you but not for real conversations. Wouldn't you just remove the headphones for that?

Under Armour got the battery life right amongst the missteps they took with the design. The Rock's headphones are rated for 16 hours of listening, and I got very close to it, with a full 12 hours of continuous use one day, and then an four more hours the next. This ranged from watching a TV show on Netflix to streaming music at various volume levels. A nice feature is fast charging, as about five minutes of charge gives you an hour of use. Plus, since the included case is spacious, you can fit a small power brick inside.

Do these headphones, uh, rock?

Overall, the Project Rock Edition UA Sport Wireless Train Headphones are a decent pair of headphones with better sound than design. At $249, they are very pricey for what you are getting, and I would have liked to see these a bit more affordable at $200. The sound quality is excellent and capable of producing loud volumes without distortion.

I wish the design felt a bit more substantial; the flimsy feel can be off-putting. You will also likely find that while the pressure on your ears to be uncomfortable, but it goes down after a short time.

If you're a fan of The Rock and want his custom headphones with exclusive tuning, you might be okay with the high price of $249. I think the rest of us are better off looking elsewhere, or waiting for the regular UA Sport Wireless Train Headphones minus The Rock branding — these will be landing soon at a cheaper price point. But if you do want The Rock design, you should act fast as it's a limited run.

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